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1st - 7th century AD

Roman villa of Casais Velhos

Roman
villa
that had a particularly intensive occupation during the Low-Imperial era and, probably, during the Late Antiquity. One of the most imposing buildings of the
villa
of Casais Velhos is a
baths
complex equipped with
tepidarium
,
caldarium
and
frigidarium
. The areas that were heated through a circulatory system of hot air under the pavement were identified and, after consolidation and restauration, the springers of the brick arches (
suspensurae
) were revealed.South of the
baths
, an
inhumation
necropolis
was excavated, which corresponds to a late period in the site's occupation (5th or 6th century). There are also two tanks, which might have been related to dyeing, an activity that would also be responsible for the existence of Purpura haemastoma shells, a species of sea snail used to produce Tyrian purple. Some authors, however, suggest the shells (which may have been brought from another location) are not related with the tanks, and that these might be two
cetariae
for salting fish.
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Visitable
Large tank (natacio) from the Roman villa of Casais Velhos, Areia, Cascais. © CMC | DABP | NPHC
Baths from the Roman villa of Casais Velhos, Areia, Cascais. © CMC | DABP | NPHC
Ruins of building possibly dedicated to dyeing in the Roman villa of Casais Velhos, Areia, Cascais. © CMC | DABP | NPHC
Jar found within a tomb in the Roman villa of Casais Velhos, Areia, Cascais. © CMC | DABP | NPHC
Clay oil lamp (lucerna) found within a tomb in the Roman villa of Casais Velhos, Areia, Cascais. © CMC | DABP | NPHC
Bronze embellishment of an animal figure with geometric decoration, from the Roman villa of Casais Velhos, Areia, Cascais. © CMC | DABP | NPHC

Typology

Rural property | Villa / Casal, Necropolis, Dyeing workshop

Archeological interventions

1945; 1968

Suggested reading

Encarnação, J. d' (1968) - Notas sobre alguns vestígios romanos no Concelho de Cascais. Estoril: Junta de Turismo da Costa do Sol.

Branco, A. de C. (1971) - Novos trabalhos na estação lusitano romana da Areia (Guincho). In Museu Biblioteca do Conde de Castro Guimarães: boletim. Cascais: Câmara Municipal de Cascais, pp-69-83.

Cardoso, G. (1991) - Carta arqueológica do Concelho de Cascais. Cascais: Câmara Municipal de Cascais.

Encarnação, J. (2005) - A presença romana em Cascais: um território da Lusitânia ocidental. Lisboa: Museu Nacional de Arqueologia. Cascais: Câmara Municipal de Cascais.

Cardoso, G.; Encarnação, J. (2010) - Roteiros do Património da Cascais: Património Arqueológico. Cascais: Câmara Municipal de Cascais.

Address

Rua de São Rafael, Areia, Cascais

Useful links

Cascais Culture - Archaeological Heritage - https://cultura.cascais.pt/listagens/patrimonio-arqueologico

Identification code​

LxR1105002

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